Women from the Lowest Economic Strata in Unconventional Jobs: An Indian Perspective

Abstract

One of the enduring commonalities amongest the otherwise diverse and varied social frameworks of civilizations across the world and across timeline is the almost similar social status accorded to women in these societies. The treatment meted out to women in various societies over the years is characterized by the systemic discrimination and the subordinate role they play in the family and society at large. This has been the common feature of the social relationship and status that women hold not only across societies but within the social classes of every society including the Indian society.

This is an exploratory study based on narrative research that ventures to examine the changing social and economic status of Indian women belonging to the backward classes within the ingrained caste framework that till today defines to a great extent the social and cultural fabric of the Indian society. This work seeks to understand the specific barriers (organizational and otherwise) that Indian women below poverty line face and their attempts to overcome them in their pursuit of economic independence and social upliftment through unconventional jobs. This study ventures to chronicle the familial influences, within the social and cultural milieu and background, their personality traits and their collective impact on their decision to pursue such unconventional jobs successfully.